The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-03-16
An Americans Story of the
Earthquake.

Mr.. Charles j. Burke of Rochester, n. Y,
who was in Nice when the great earthquake
occurred, gives the following account of his
personal experience to the New York
World. Z" was in bed and asleep when l
was awakened by feeling myself swinging,
as it were, about twenty feet to and fro.
The furniture in the room was banging
about and there was low, ominous roar
/ jumped up quickly and dressed. ! had
just finished my hasty toilet when the second
shock came, and | ran out into the hall, leav-
ing everything behind me except what |
wore. The hall was actually filled with
men and women running up and down and
crying ont in the most distressing manner
The great hotel continued to rock like
cradle, and with each vibration the cries in
creased and women tainted on all sides
There were husbands calling their wives
and wives their husbands. Children were
running about shreking for their parents.
All had Just jumped out of bed and the
scene was worse than one could imagine.
Pandemonium was nothing to il, and the
coolest among us did not know what to do
until all We're finally seized with the desire
to get to the street, and then there was
crush. ! have no idea how long this lasted.
Time was lost to me. 1t might have been
two minutes or two hours. All | can re-
member is that the whole system seemed
demoralized and ! was in whirl that can
only be compared to "A wild horrible dream.
1t was something frightful. How soon we
reached the street, or how, | cannot tell. l
know we got there and found all of the
squares filed with people, nearly all in
their night-clothes. There were fair and
delicate women and children barefoot,
and with little or nothing around them. All
were running around TO try and find their
friends, and when a group were collected
they stood or knelt, momentarilY expecting
another shock. There were twenty thou
sand people thus congregated in the squares.
Quiet was gradually restored and then the
sun arose on the scene. 1t was a most per-
feet morning, and when the warm rays of
the sun tinged the tops of the hills and the
quaint old buildings it looked down on the
strangest scene | think it ever saw. No one
dared to stir from the place. and men could
not be hired to go into the houses for any
sum of money, so the early morning was
spent by the people without any extra cloth
ing. About ten o'clock it was rumored
among the people that there was to be
another shock and the news was most dis
astrous. No one asked who could predict
it, but every one believed 1t, and there the
poor terror-stricken people stood and waited
with pale faces, as though for their doom.
When the third shock did not come con-
fidence was to certain extent restored.
Clothing was got out of the houses and then
began the great stampede, / had secured
our tickets for Paris the day before and had
our places reserved on the car. Enormous
| prices, even as high as $3.50 were offered
for the tickets held by the lucky possessors,
but none We're sold. The railway trains
could not accommodate a quarter OF those
who applied, and this added TO the con-
, sternation. 1t was reign of horror and
the most terrible experience ever had.